1 UK Parliamentary Inquiry into Global Food Crisis Call for Evidence Submission from the International Water Management Institute How to better manage water so that 9 billion people can be fed equitably, healthily, safely and sustainably by 2050 The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is one of the 15 Centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Its Vision is “Water for a Food Secure World and its mission “To improve the management of land and water resources for food, livelihoods and the environment.” IWMI is headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and has offices in 12 locations in Asia and Africa including Vientiane (Laos), Hyderabad and New Delhi (India), Lahore (Pakistan), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Accra (Ghana) and Pretoria (S. Africa). In addition, we have a presence in Nepal, Vietnam and Syria. Our annual budget is approximately US$24 m and this is provided by donors including the UK (DIFD also provides funds to the CGIAR Challenge Programme on Water and Food), World Bank, several European countries, the USA, Canada and Australia. We also receive funds from the Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. Our funding is split with about 33% as core and unrestricted funds and 67% project restricted funds (tied to specific project outcomes). Given that the enquiry is asking the question how can 9 billion people be fed equitably, healthily, safely and sustainably by 2050, we submit that this target has to be reached via planned strategic investments in research and development, innovation in farming systems and development of infrastructure (including roads and in the case of water, storage facilities ranging from small reservoirs to large dams). IWMI advocates strongly that without sufficient water no amount of clever biotechnology and plant breeding for drought etc will allow us to grow enough food to feed 9 billion people. The reality is that research into improving water storage, and in field water productivity has to be done in tandem with plant sciences research. Emergency food aid to countries facing drought, whilst a necessary measure, should in the longer term be replaced by increasing these
13
Embed
UK Parliamentary Inquiry into Global Food Crisis Call …1 UK Parliamentary Inquiry into Global Food Crisis Call for Evidence Submission from the International Water Management Institute
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
1
UK Parliamentary Inquiry into Global Food Crisis
Call for Evidence
Submission from the International Water Management Institute
How to better manage water so that 9 billion people can be fed
equitably, healthily, safely and sustainably by 2050
The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is one of the 15 Centres of the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Its Vision is “Water
for a Food Secure World and its mission “To improve the management of land and water
resources for food, livelihoods and the environment.” IWMI is headquartered in Colombo,
Sri Lanka, and has offices in 12 locations in Asia and Africa including Vientiane (Laos),
Hyderabad and New Delhi (India), Lahore (Pakistan), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Addis Ababa
(Ethiopia), Accra (Ghana) and Pretoria (S. Africa). In addition, we have a presence in Nepal,
Vietnam and Syria. Our annual budget is approximately US$24 m and this is provided by
donors including the UK (DIFD also provides funds to the CGIAR Challenge Programme on
Water and Food), World Bank, several European countries, the USA, Canada and Australia.
We also receive funds from the Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. Our
funding is split with about 33% as core and unrestricted funds and 67% project restricted
funds (tied to specific project outcomes).
Given that the enquiry is asking the question how can 9 billion people be fed equitably,
healthily, safely and sustainably by 2050, we submit that this target has to be reached via
planned strategic investments in research and development, innovation in farming systems
and development of infrastructure (including roads and in the case of water, storage facilities
ranging from small reservoirs to large dams). IWMI advocates strongly that without
sufficient water no amount of clever biotechnology and plant breeding for
drought etc will allow us to grow enough food to feed 9 billion people. The reality
is that research into improving water storage, and in field water productivity has to be done
in tandem with plant sciences research. Emergency food aid to countries facing drought,
whilst a necessary measure, should in the longer term be replaced by increasing these
Given the current drivers, water scarcity will become an increasingly significant impediment
to achieving food security at local, regional and potentially global levels over the next 40
years. IWMI advocates a holistic approach to tackling this that includes across-the-board
water productivity increases, policy and institutional reform and the freeing up of trade
barriers that promote the flow of “virtual” water from water rich to water poor areas.
Conclusion – Recommended Actions
The following conclusions and recommendations are made based around the premise that water issues are fundamental to food security as outlined in this paper.
Investment in water management in developing countries needs to be significantly increased to tackle the increasing number of issues arising from competition for waterto ensure that global food security is not compromised.
Investment should be targeted to assist projects and countries to take an integrated approach to water management that takes into account all the competing uses of water, social aspects and environmental impacts.
Gender issues need to be integrated into all water and food production solutions. Investment in better water management practices and policy reform should be made
around scientifically based solutions. Similarly all on-ground water management aid work must be based on sound scientific research.
Investment should be targeted to assist policy makers in developing countries through the provision of improved data and information and complementary decision making systems and tools that will aid better water management strategies and practices.
UK aid to the water sector should ideally take a collaborative and participatory approach, with DFID working hand in hand with the other development agencies, UK universities, local partners on-the-ground and scientific agricultural specialists like the CGIAR/IWMI.
More investment is also required in research and development for water management and policy reform. However, this investment should be targeted at projects that take aholistic that integrates research with development impact via uptake strategies. The findings of the Comprehensive Assessment suggest a number of effective ways in which new research can be channeled.
References
Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture 2007. Water for Food,
Water for Life: A Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture. London:
Earthscan and Colombo: International Water Management Institute.